The zone assigned to Munst awaiting deployment was not the largest area in the world. Towering buildings had been built above to block most of the light as magnetic connectors powered the suspension that held each one above them aloft. It was all strange to Urk, seeing things float without more than a few runes and some sort of power source.

It had been two days since he’d arrived, and he was still waiting for his assignment. The items he’d brought had given him a sizable amount of income upon which to comfortably rest and wait. The food in the city was a new experience every meal, and he was excited to travel out again once more to find a location to eat.

It was during another one of these trips that he found a stone building at odds with the steel ones all around it. Like the slums, it was made of a much older design, with the city built above the structure with no regard for gravity. A figure in blue stepped out and frowned at him.

“What do you want, monster?” The atmosphere of the street dimmed to a chill as Urk stepped back and waved an arm.

“ I’m sorry! I was just looking at the structure. I’ve not seen many old human structures, let alone ones of stone.” Moving to look down timidly, Urk curled his tail around himself submissively, almost tying himself up for the human in front of him.

“This is the police station. Criminals come here.” Answering his radio, the man began to run for his bike and take off into the distance. Curiosity drove Urk to fall to all fours and move to follow, leaping onto the railing of a floating path to avoid bumping into the crowd.

“Criminals? Humans don’t kill them?” The idea of leaving someone who had done harm alive was foreign to Urk. Seeing everything in black and white left little room for grey or colours like humans could see. For all the chaos his presence was causing, the policeman didn’t answer as he slid to a stop in front of an older lady outside of a knick-knack store. A shattered window was visible alongside a noticeable area of nothing, the dust marking where something had once stood.

“Don’t worry Ma’am. The cameras caught a clear view of the perp. We’ll have your antique clock returned to you promptly.” Giving a nod, the man lifted up a tablet and then pressed a few buttons. Only then did he turn toward Urk.

“No, and I don’t have time to explain the legal system to you. Goodbye.” With a jump, he hopped onto his bike and drove away. With the two of them left, the old lady spat at Urk and went inside. Cupping his cheek, he wiped it away. Brief anger filled him, but he deflated a moment later.

A crash echoed out from the store. No passerby but Urk paid it much attention beyond a glance. Police had just come by, and the alarms were already blaring. Someone more qualified would come by soon, surely. Moving toward the window, Urk meanwhile looked in to see a second figure forcing the woman to unlock a cabinet filled with necklaces and jewellery.

“And give me that card of yours, I’m going to be making a withdrawal.” The man smirked as she shakily reached for her purse to grab it, eyes staring fearfully at the bat he was carrying. Someone would come for her...right? Once the beep echoed out, the man grinned and pulled his mask back down.

“You tell that little policeman about our polite chat, and I’ll have to make a second trip back here.” Moving to head toward the back door, the man glanced toward the Munst before dashing into the alley. Hopping through the shattered glass, Urk moved over toward the woman.

“Are you alright?” Briefly, he considered offering a claw. Instead, he decided to just keep his hands close to his chest.

“Why didn’t you do anything! You could have helped me! Now-Now I’m...I’m…” The woman slammed a fist into his chest to no effect. Tears flittered down her face as she shook with anger and distress.

“Do...you want me to bring him to that policeman guy?” Pointing a claw to the open back door, Urk waited for her response.

“...Why do you care? You’re just a monster. Do what you want.” She spat at him again and curled up into a ball to cry alone.

“What I want…” The question was one Urk didn’t know how to respond to. What did he want? To support Mylord? Or was that only what he felt obligated to do? A moment of clarity amidst confusion only prompted one response from his small mind. Whatever he wanted or didn’t want, that man had made this woman cry. For once, Urk wasn’t the weaker one. Even the smallest kobold child could fight against a human on at least equal footing, though the collar did dampen his abilities.

Breathing in deeply, he caught the scent of the man and dashed out the door, moving through the streets like an eel as his body leapt and jumped over groups and crowds to slide to a stop in front of a door. It was in an alleyway, with many doors scaling upward to reach small shelters built into the side of one of the skyscrapers.

Four floors up, the door opened to his touch, and he found the man packing the items away into bags and packages to be delivered. There was even a large clock in one corner. The silence stretched for a brief moment and then the man pulled out a gun and fired.

Dodging to the side, the bullet caught his shoulder, and Urk felt a sharp pain as he dove for the man and moved to pin him down. Reaching into his knapsack, he tried to grab his rope as he was thrown off, soon facing down the barrel of the gun once more. A heart-stopping moment of sheer terror filled them both as instinct fueled a dive forward.

The second shot grazed his forehead, but he managed to grab the gun and throw it out the window. Urk moved to raise his claw to swipe down at the man, but a sharp burst of static curled outward from his neck, and he cried out as he fell to the ground. The man wobbled to his feet and laughed.

“Aha...ahahaaha! That’s what you get, you filthy monster!” Kick after kick and punch after punch hit Urk as he remained unable to even protect himself as the collar kept him paralyzed, each moment causing fresh pain as the blood soon seeped down and forced him to close his eyes.

“That’s what you get for getting in my way!” The man used Urk’s rope to tie him up and began to quickly prepare the last packages. Each time Urk attempted to move, the shock would shoot out again as his mouth opened in a silent howl of pain. Moisture formed in the corners of his eyes as he desperately fought to remain conscious.

The door slammed open as five policemen brought their guns to bear, first on Urk and then on the man, one of them being the same policeman from earlier. The thief made a dive for the window as the stun gun fired out and immobilised him. Shackles were put on the man before they moved to attempt the same to Urk.

“No, let him go.” The familiar man knelt down and deactivated the collar. A breath finally entered Urk at his own bidding, and he curled up into a ball, shivering and shaking as the pain continued to pulse from his wounds and sudden jolts wracked his body. Reaching into his pocket, the man brought out a first aid kit and tended to his injuries.

“If it weren’t for this monster, we might not have caught the second perp. That means all these illicit goods could have been smuggled out to Blackke. Look at the gunshot wounds, he was trying to defend himself.” The man waited as Urk recovered from the aftershocks and offered a hand.

“That nose of yours is quite useful. Come back to the station. I want to talk to you about potential employment opportunities.”